Kerfuffle
by Ryoukko-kai
Summary: Mitarai was always teased by the other kids his age. When he goes to a new school, a kind boy by the name of Shuuichi befriends him. Soon, he finds himself caught up in a whole lot more than he expected with three eyed demons and his own budding powers.
1. Bus Seats

Hello everyone! I'm Ryoukko-kai, but please just call me Riko. I know I need to be working on Ice Freezes, but I couldn't resist writing this! I won't update it as frequently as the other, either (hey...I'm not perfect! Otherwise, what would I be doing writing this instead of getting rich?), but I do promise to update at least once a month, okay? As fore the title, it's simply a really fun way to say "chaos", which sums up this story... It's very, very, very, slight alternate universe, but bear with me, it'll make more sense later! Okay, now...uh, read and review! Yeah! That sounds cool! This story is for Forgotten Kaze, who's a serious Mitarai fangirl (another one of us ). Woot!

* * *

He looked around, a bit confused. There were so many people, and they practically stampeded through the tiny halls, elbowing or plowing others out of the way with hardly an 'excuse me' or a 'sorry'. That was bad enough, but the _noise!_ Everyone seemed to have something to say, whether it was a quick conversation with the person next to them about their schedule or obscene insults, yelled to those who presumably didn't get out of the way fast enough. Mitarai had hardly any time to react before he too, was swept into the crowd, where he found himself shuffling forward, trying not to get shoved over yet still make it to his homeroom.

He tried to pull out of the _river_ of people, trying to make it to one of the smaller side-hallways. The teeming mass of people pushed him back, acting like a brick wall. Following behind a larger student who was going the same direction, he managed to make it into his hall. Nervous, the boy toyed with his dark blond hair, a habit he had picked up, and stared at the door. Room 204, Mr. Mitsuharu, and Mitarai's homeroom.

The boy slowly opened the door, stepping into the room. Some of the people were recognizable from middle school, like Kyosu Idane and Azumamaro Kanegawa, and he flinched under their gaze. They had always picked on him, and so he had developed a fear of them or their friends.

_No…they can't actually hurt me. They mean nothing…but why am I still frightened?_ he wondered.

He hastily sat down in the nearest desk, not looking at the others. Mitarai dropped his backpack on the ground, unzipping it and looking for his book. Finding it, he leaned back in his chair, opening to the page he had left off on.

Class progressed poorly from there.

First off, he realized that he forgot to bring his agenda. While everyone else had theirs out, he could only shrink in his seat, hoping that he wouldn't get in trouble. During Japanese class, he had to endure the taunts and jibes of the other students, walking in late. The calls of "Look, it's Mitarai!" and "He's actually showing his face here?" rang in his ears. The poor boy didn't like it at all.

In geometry, he had no clue what was going on. His teacher poorly explained what they were supposed to be doing, and she was clearly American, speaking in a thick Southern accent and stumbling over her Japanese. He quietly sat at the back of the room, glad that no one in the room knew him. In that regard, he was lucky.

English, his elective, was confusing and grating. Mitarai couldn't remember how to conjugate "eat" into past tense, nor could he remember how to work with words such as "the" and "is". It was all so different from Japanese… Health was, at least, easy. It was a filler class, plain and simple. Nothing actually happened in the class, other than other kids talked with each other.

He made his way to the buses, hoping that he'd make it there soon enough to get a seat on his own. He didn't like sitting next to people much. Suddenly, he pitched forward, everything he had been holding flying out of his hands.

"What's the matter? Did you trip over your own feet again?" one of the bullies from middle school sneered.

Mitarai lay on the ground, knocked over by a simple foot stuck out to trip him up. His books were on the floor a few feet away, papers and such littering the floor. The boy didn't say anything.

"Why don't you get your friends to stand up for you? Oh, wait, you don't have any."

"C'mon, guys, we're going to be late," one of the other's friends said.

"Yeah, you're right. I've gotta go to my locker, too."

And just like that, they left, leaving poor Mitarai on the ground. The other kids, who had flocked to the trouble like flies to a dead deer, dispersed without so much as one of them helping him. Swallowing his anger, he slowly stood up. Stooping, he scooped up his stuff and continued on his way.

That was it. No complaints, no arguing, only silent acceptance. He simply had no other choice. The blond-haired boy was a bit too prideful to go running to the teachers for help. Fighting back was out; he was a small, rather skimpy teen, and his chances of fighting off a group of stronger others were slim to none. He had long since given up hope of being saved by someone else. The others didn't seem to care.

He sighed, running to catch his bus. If he missed it, his mother would be furious with him. The boy wearily stepped up the stairs, mumbling a quiet "Do you mind…?" before sitting down next to someone he didn't know. He fumbled through his backpack, pulling out a book and opening to the page he left off. That was life.

And, despite the vicious nature of life, it did have its pleasant surprises. Perhaps Fate was agreeing with him, or perhaps it was just a coincidence, but it happened anyway.

"I'm not sure I've seen you before. What is your name?" the person next to him asked in a soft voice.

Mitarai's head snapped up. He hadn't been expecting that one bit.

"Kiyoshi Mitarai," he murmured, not even looking over.

"Hm. What classes are you in?"

"Geometry, honors lit/comp, health, and English," he replied.

"Ah. I'm in horticulture instead of English, and, of course, I'm in sophomore classes instead of freshman classes, but the same basic stuff," the other said.

"Why are you talking to me?" he asked. Normally, such a comment would seem mean-spirited or such, but the cerulean-eyed boy truly wanted to know. He looked up, staring at the teen.

At first glance, they seemed to be a girl, what with wide, bottle green eyes and shoulder length crimson tresses. Still, despite their feminine features, he had a deep male voice and his utter lack of a chest (not that Mitarai was looking; it was obvious at a glance) made him out to be a guy. The boy smiled a warm smile, and the blonde blinked in confusion.

"Well, you just seemed kind of lonely. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Shuuichi Minamino."

_The only reason I'm talking to this kid is because of his incredible spiritual energy, _the fox apparition thought to himself. _It's a wonder that he can't feel my energy, even if he can't recognize it. He's not shivering occasionally or anything. I assume that with limited exposure to youkai, his energy would skyrocket. Perhaps he could be another ally? Who knows?_

It figured. The one person who seemed nice enough was the famed Shuuichi, a genius in every subject and the number one favorite among the girls.

"N-nice to meet you," he stammered. Small talk was _so_ difficult…

"No need to be nervous," Shuuichi assured with a smile. "I'm not a bad person."

"No…but you're popular… your kind never sticks up for me."

"My kind?" the redhead asked with a chuckle. "I think you've got the wrong person. Sure, the girls like me, but can I really help that?"

Kiyoshi sighed, turning his attention back to his book. This conversation wasn't getting anywhere, in his opinion.

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning to look at the younger boy.

"Nothing…" he replied.

There was a bit of silence, where Shuuichi didn't seem to know what to say.

"Well, Mitarai, I think you've got the wrong idea of who I am," the emerald-eyed teen said, smiling. "I think you'd just need to get to know me."

_What he doesn't know is that I spend my free time saving the world from youkai…_ Shuuichi thought. _Still, I'm not the best of people, either. As Yoko Kurama, I was the most feared of thieves, a powerful demon that could brush aside all but the strongest of apparitions. Add that to my mile-wide criminal streak… Well, what he doesn't know can't hurt him…much._

Mitarai mumbled something incomprehensible. The cobalt-eyed freshman was far too shy for his own good.

"No need to be timid, now."

"O-okay," the blonde mumbled.

Shuuichi smiled warmly.

_Besides, if he does not choose to join our cause…then he needs to be monitored, to be eliminated should he attempt to do anything evil._ _Someone must be close to make sure that he doesn't join the wrong side._

To tell the truth, the blond-haired boy was a bit dazed. Shuuichi Minamino, the single most popular kid in the school, was openly trying to be his friend. Dimly, he realized that he should do something, say something, to the other, but he wasn't sure what.

"Um…what lunch do you have?" he finally asked, scrabbling for something to talk about.

"B lunch," the sophomore replied.

"Me too," he murmured.

The redhead smiled to himself. From his experience, the shy people were always the easiest to get close to. Well, all but Hiei, he mentally amended. Manipulating people had always been a specialty of the fox demon, and this was no exception. He felt a bit of guilt over pretending to care about Mitarai now, but he brushed it aside. The good of the three worlds came above the thoughts of one ignorant boy.

"Well, uh, this is my stop…" the freshman said, standing up. "I guess I'll…see you tomorrow?"

"You can count on it."

The blonde stepped into the aisle, hopped down the stairs, and continued on to the sidewalk. As he walked home, he stared at his feet, deep in thought.

_Why is everything like this? _he wondered. _It's all confusing, and even when someone's being nice it's weird. I don't know what to say, and it's almost as bad as being picked on. But while it is painful when I'm getting bullied, this is different. It's strangely pleasant, yet at the same time, I'm lost. It's because I don't know what I'm supposed to do. But really, _Shuuichi_ of all people…why was he the one to approach me? Isn't he supposed to be untouchable?_

He shook his head, curly dirty blonde hair bouncing about. Two little strands of his bangs fell almost in front of his eyes, coming up just a bit short.

_Well, why question my good luck?_

Mitarai climbed up the hill that led to his house, and others that were on the way. A few other students were behind him, but he paid them no mind. He had tried and failed to talk with them, and he had given up. The others didn't like him, and that was that. The sapphire-eyed boy turned right near the top of the hill, where the road reached a cul-de-sac. He opened the mailbox, pulling out a few letters and a magazine or two, then made his way down the gently sloping driveway. The tan mini van that his mother drove was parked there; she must've gotten home before him.

Blinking, he punched the code in for his garage door, and it obediently opened. Impatient, he ducked under the door, his backpack scraping the bottom of it. He paced over to the refrigerator, the storage one his family kept in the garage, opened the top door, and pulled out a soda. The door into the house was on the right, which he promptly stepped though.

"Hey, Mom! I'm home!" he called out, pushing the door closed and shrugging off his backpack.

He barely even had time to react before a huge German Shepard leaped up on him, planting its paws on his chest. Mitarai stumbled backwards.

"Whoa, boy, down! Down!"

The dog sat on its hindquarters, panting and staring up at him.

"Yeah, Ryobe, I'm glad to see you too," he murmured, absentmindedly patting the dog on the head.

It stared at him rather blankly, a doggy smile on its face. He stretched, glad that his shoulders were free of the burden, and headed for his room.

A regular twin sized bed was up against the left wall, a silky silver comforter thrown over it. The walls were mostly bare; only a poster stating Murphy's Law in large letters was tacked up. He pulled off his favorite yellow hoodie, flicking on the ceiling fan because of the heat, and set it down in a dark blue chair opposite the door. A window took up most of the space behind it, and the blinds were open, letting sunlight in.

He stood in a pair of dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Sighing, he lay down on his bed, turning on his television and doing not much else until the next day…

* * *

He waited for the bus, staring off into space.

_I wonder, will that Shuuichi kid talk to me again? I highly doubt it,_ he thought. _I _was_ the one who sat next to him, not the other way around… Plus, it did seem like I was boring him. Yeah, I'm sure that's it. Why would he waste his time hanging out with me? I'm sure he has popular friends, too. Them and his little fangirls. Yeah, he doesn't even care. _

Reassured that everything was as it usually was, he wasn't the least bit apprehensive (well, any more than usual) as he stepped up the three steps that led to the bus. He was about to sit down in the first empty seat he saw, before a soft voice called out, "Why don't you sit over here, Mitarai?"

Stunned, he turned around, and there was Shuuichi. He blinked, before slowly nodding and pacing over to the redhead, who offered a wide grin. Mitarai shyly smiled in return, fiddling with the curly hair at the base of his neck.

"Hey, is he honestly letting _Kiyoshi Mitarai_ sit with him?" a brunette boy asked.

"He must've left his book at home and need to borrow his," someone tossed out.

"Yeah, something like that," a third agreed.

The jade-eyed boy sighed.

"It is rather annoying, being observed so closely, don't you think? I think I'd just about die if I were a celebrity or something," Shuuichi whispered.

The blonde tensely chuckled. _Why is he so worried about being _too_ popular? I hate being where I am. I'd rather be stalked by some psychos than remain picked on… I suppose that since he's always been at the top that he considers his own predicament to be worse… figures._

"Call it a hunch, but I have the feeling that we're going to be good friends," the sophomore amicably said.

_Of course, if you choose to side with youkai, more than just our friendship shall end…_ he thought to himself.

* * *

Yeah...so, a bit weird, but not too bad, I hope. Just tell me what you think, okay? Feedback is _very_ good. 


	2. Too Easy

Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! It really means a lot to me. Now, for those of you who may be wondering why Mitarai only has four classes, he's on the block schedule, a weird type of system where for one semester you take four hour and a half classes, like Math, Language Arts, and two electives, then the other semester you take four different ones, like Social Studies, Science, and two electives. It's kind of messed up, but that's what I'm stuck on, so it's easier for me to write. Read and review, peeps!

* * *

Like yesterday, Mitarai's first-period Japanese class was sheer hell. For starters, it was out in one of the trailer classes, and they didn't have any air conditioning. It was too hot for the young teenager, who was far more used to sixty degrees and raining. The trailer was stuffy and warm, and several times during the hour-and-a-half class he found himself close to nodding off. Ironically, the occasional jibes of the other students actually _helped_ him to concentrate. Stretching and yawning, he was glad when the bell rang and he could finally leave the class. 

No one bothered him much throughout math class. He was one of the small handful of freshman; all the rest were sophomores. Therefore, the rest of the class hardly knew him, and were content to leave the blond-haired boy alone. He appreciated the attention, or lack thereof, and was equally pleased, even as he worked through an annoying complementary/supplementary angle problem (he still wasn't sure which was which).

He sat through the first twenty minutes of English, not quite sure _what_ the teacher was talking about; she kept switching back and forth between English and Japanese, and he couldn't keep track of her words. Thankfully, the lunch bell rang then, and he darted out of class, lunch in hand. He looked forward to lunch, if for no other reason than the break in class. It was only the second day and already he hated school.

Mitarai looked for a table that was empty. He didn't care much for company.

"Forgetting me so soon?" a soft voice asked, right in his ear.

He wheeled around, shocked.

Bright green eyes flashed with merriment, and a rather feminine face met his vision.

"Shuuichi?"

"Who else?" he asked, resisting the urge to grin ear-to-silver fox-ear.

Mitarai blinked, unsure.

"So, uh…do you mind…?"

"Of course not," the redhead replied, correctly interpreting the blonde's hesitant speech as "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" After all, Shuuichi could understand Hiei's way of speech, and _he_ barely even said anything. Hardly as predictable as this boy.

"What are your hobbies?" the cerulean-eyed boy asked.

The redhead grinned to himself.

_Too easy…_

"I enjoy horticulture, I play a little Goblin City on the side sometimes, and I'm in a roleplaying club with a few friends. How about you?"

"Yeah, I play some games, too… I also, uh, write some…"

"Really? What games do you like?"

"Demon Fighter Three is a favorite," he replied.

Shuuichi couldn't help but smile at the title of choice.

_If only he knew who he was talking to…_ he thought. _I'm not sure he'd see demon fighting as such an innocent game once he realized that he was talking to a yôko…_

"Ah, I see. Do you have any pets?"

"Yeah, Ryobe, my dog."

_A dog? Not good… Such a creature could identify me for what I truly am… I'd best be careful if I must see the animal._

"Oh?" he said, feigning interest. "I'm actually allergic to dogs," he lied.

"Sorry to hear that," he replied. "Do you have any pets?"

"No, no."

_The real answer to this is yes. You are, my dear, naïve boy._

Shuuichi distinctly recalled Yusuke calling _him_ his pet fox, but he brushed the memory aside. That wasn't important, nor was it true. He was no one's but his own.

"Okay."

They lapsed into silence, seeing as Mitarai couldn't think of anything else to say.

_This is so weird… Shuuichi Minamino is actually trying to be my friend! I can't believe it! That old phrase "Fate has a sense of humor" comes to mind, but I'll admit that that is not only an annoying saying, but also it's rather cliché. Still! Shuuichi Minamino_! _ Perhaps…_he dared to think _my friend!_

_This is too easy,_ the fox demon thought. _He's practically hanging onto my every word. It took all of five minutes to assure him that I cared about all of his problems, and less than five more to turn him to my friend. Too easy… I _almost_ wish for a harder challenge. This doesn't test my abilities at all! Still, that doesn't matter. He's within my grasp now…and that is all that counts._

He faked a warm smile.

"Well, Mitarai, how's your family?"

"It's fine. My father's usually at work, but my mom's almost always home. My sister's off at college, so I don't see much of her, either… Still, it's fine."

_Unlike my school life…_

"Ah. My father passed away years ago, regrettably, but my mother remarried. I now have a younger stepbrother, Shuichi."

"Does that ever get confusing?" he asked. "I mean, two Shuuichis…"

"Sometimes, yes. But it really is fine," he said.

"Hey, Shuuichi, is this seat taken?" a girl asked, pointing to the seat Mitarai currently occupied.

"Yes, it is. Would you like to sit over here?" he offered, gesturing towards the seat on his left.

Mitarai sighed.

_There goes my chance…_ he thought. _I was going to try and see if he'd give me his e-mail…_

Shuuichi mentally winced, taking a bite out of his sandwich to give himself a bit more time to think over the inevitable question that would pop up.

_These girls are so annoying… they're always trying to see if I'll go out with them, even though I've politely rebuked almost all of them at least once. Still, it is my job to be polite, to be perfect. Perfection…it is such a strange thing. Most everyone wants it, at one time or another, and many never dispel the notion that they can achieve perfection or that it was what everyone aspires to be. I admit that I, too, have quested for perfection, although that was in my younger days, before the name "Kurama" meant anything to anyone. Now, I realize that that was a foolish fantasy that could never be; perfection is not, as is thought, being the best person that one could possibly be and gaining pure happiness. Perfection is the lack of all that makes us human…or demon, as it may be. Without anger, guilt, jealousy, or the ability to make mistakes, we would not be who we are, and there would be no difference between one of us and the next. In that regard, perfection is an even greater thief than I am; it can rob us of all that we are. Therefore, while they see me as perfect, I prefer myself to be flawed, and thus, myself._

"So, Shuuichi, why're you sitting here with Blondie?" she asked.

_Far too predictable,_ he thought.

"Am I not allowed to sit with whomever I choose?" he returned, the air of calm surrounding him never so much as changing.

"Yeah, but why him?" she pressed.

The cobalt-eyed boy shifted uneasily, not sure that the redhead would stand up for him in front of someone else.

Shuuichi flashed a warm smile, although the irritation at the girl for not only pressing her nose where it didn't belong but also for treating the boy as though he was trash was far from cheery. That was yet another of his many talents, honed by over a thousand years of practice. He was an actor, one that could put even the best of Broadway performers to shame. He could do far more than play a part; he could _become_ the part, act with such skill that even his closest friends were no longer sure which part was the fake and which part was the real thing. But that was the beauty of his capabilities. They would never know the truth of it all. And throughout the whole thing, at his very core, he would still be Kurama, able to drop the entire guise of Shuuichi Minamino at a moment's notice…that is, if he so chose to.

"He makes for quite enjoyable company. You should try sitting with him sometime."

Mitarai breathed a sigh of relief. The sophomore had indeed stuck up for him, beyond all belief. Still, he remained silent.

"You're too kind, Shuuichi!" she praised. "Even being nice to _Kiyoshi Mitarai_!"

Shuuichi swallowed his disgust, as well as another bite of sandwich, that bright smile never so much as wavering. To talk about another of her own kind as though he were lower than the ground she walked upon sickened him, in all actuality. Granted, the boy was far too fearful for his own good. The green-eyed boy could only wonder, though: Would Mitarai have been so timid without suffering from humiliation at the hands of others? Or would he have still been shy and nervous on his own?

He decided that answering would have little to no effect on the conversation, and chose to remain silent.

The blonde again shifted in his chair, chewing on his own peanut-butter sandwich. Although he was usually fine with silence, sitting right next to Shuuichi Minamino, at the redhead's insistence, was unnerving. He wanted the effeminate boy to speak up, but he was too shy to say anything without prompting.

The bell rang then, and he sighed, again reminded of their short lunch periods.

"Well, it was nice sitting with you," the redhead lied to the girl, smiling again.

_I bet the silly girl actually thinks that I like her…_ he thought with a silent chuckle. This time, his amusement was not feigned.

"Yeah! We'll have to sit together again sometime soon!" she replied, walking off.

"I'll be seeing you on the bus?" he asked Mitarai, cocking his head to the side.

"I guess," he replied.

_Too easy…_ he again thought.

They each went their separate directions. The blonde struggled through an hour more of mind-numbingly boring English and the hour-and-a-half free period that was termed "Health". He daydreamed throughout most of it all, shrugging off the usually stinging insults of his peers, although he did not see them as such. To be termed someone's peer was to imply equality, and he by no means considered himself their equals. Years of being thrown to the dirt, literally and figuratively, had crushed his self-esteem to virtually nothing. He sighed to himself as he hurried out to the bus port, glad, at least, that Shuuichi was waiting for him, even if he wasn't too sure of that. Mitarai was skeptic on many things, and he still didn't quite trust that Shuuichi would still want to sit near him. Remaining alone with one's self-doubt can do that to someone, and with everyone else so emotionally far from him, he was quite alone.

Shuuichi, despite the freshman's doubts, was sitting alone, space reserved for Mitarai right next to him. His dark blue eyes lit up at that, and this time he didn't even wait for the redhead's invitation to sit next to him.

"Hello again," the fire-haired boy greeted.

"Hi," Mitarai replied. "Um, I was just wondering, uh…could I have your e-mail?"

_There, I said it. I hope he doesn't think that I'm some kind of stalker…_

"Of course. vulpusmirus at email dot com. It's all one word, no capitals. How about you?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, could you spell that?" he asked.

"Sure. V-u-l-p-u-s, m-i-r-u-s at email dot com."

"Thanks. Oh, uh, mine? kmitarai at email dot com, also one word, no capitals either."

_I can't believe it. I actually got his e-mail! He actually wants to keep in contact with me! Score!_

_Yes, I've got him hook, line, and sinker,_ Shuuichi thought. _Too easy._

* * *

Yeah... I think that came out fairly well. I was hoping to capture more of Kurama's personality. No, he's not a friendly, kind guy who cares about everyone's problems and would honestly care about what happened to us random people. He showed himself to be a vicious, calculating killer that saw everything by how it would affect him and his small group of friends/family. That's it. Do you think the Yoko Kurama had room in his busy schedule for befriending random demons out of the blue? I think not. As for Demon Fighter Three, I _think_ that was the title of a game mentioned by one of Amanuma's buddies in episode 96: Topside. I know it was Demon Fight or Demon Fighter _something_, I'm just not sure what number it was... As for Kurama's e-mail, volume three of the manga said that they were scientifically called Vulpus mirus. A bit corny, but I couldn't think of much else. Plus, Kurama's arrogant enough to try it. Anyway, review please! 


	3. Stupid and Risky

Hey there, everyone. I'm back. This chapter is for Sora Sotara all the way. Hope Kurama holds up to your standards this time around, eh? Per usual, all my real comments are at the end of the chapter, so...why're you reading this?

* * *

Mitarai sat in front of his computer, waiting for his e-mail to come up. The "zero new messages" thing was really getting on his nerves, but he shrugged and reminded himself that now Shuuichi was his friend and that wouldn't be a problem. 

_I'll have plenty of messages now,_ he assured himself, even though it sounded forced even to him.

He clicked on "compose new message" and typed in Shuuichi's e-mail address. Subject: Hi. He stared at it for a bit.

_No, that sounds stupid,_ he thought, deleting it. Subject: It's Me. _Okay, that's stupider than the last one! _ Subject: Mitarai. _The hell? That's worse! _Subject: What's Up? _ No! That sounds like I'm trying to be cool…or am stalking him! No! _Subject: How's It Going? _Still sounds like I'm stalking him. What is wrong with me? _Subject: Hey There. _Okay, now I sound mentally retarded. _Subject: Yo. _That's worse! That's worse!_ Subject: (No subject). _Now I seem too stupid to think of one…although, with those others, maybe that isn't so bad. _Subject: Foxes? _Yeah! That works! I mean, vulpus? That's a fox, right? Yeah!_

He moved his cursor to the message box, and began typing.

_Hey Shuuichi. It's me, Mitarai. I was just wondering what you're doing-_

He held down the backspace key, deleting the last sentence.

_I was just wondering why you chose your e-mail address. Isn't a vulpus some kind of fox? Yeah…_

He clicked the "Send" button, closed out of his e-mail, and went to go do something else. Still, he was restless, and checked back about once every five minutes to see if Shuuichi had messaged him back. He couldn't help it.

To his delight, within ten minutes the redhead had replied.

_Yes. _Vulpus_ is the scientific name for the fox family._

He grinned, glad that he hadn't screwed that up.

_What kind of fox is a _Vulpus mirus_ then?_

He had his reply within minutes, although it seemed far too long for him.

_A fictional sort, some kind of fox spirit or another. My friend had said that I acted "foxlike" and so I was prompted to use it as my email address. Nothing but a whim._

Mitarai frowned. Nicknamed by another friend? He shrugged, rationalizing that Shuuichi was the most popular kid in the whole school, and that he had the right to be friends with whomever he chose. Who cared if his other friends called him a fox?

_Okay. Sounds interesting. Was that something from one of your roleplays?_

He clicked "send", hoping that he had remembered properly that Shuuichi was into roleplaying. He would seem like a real idiot if he was wrong…

_Indeed. In fact, it was that that started the idea for my character… but never mind my ramblings. I have to go for dinner and regrettably cannot get back online for the rest of the night. I'll see you in school?_

He read and re-read the message. It seemed like Shuuichi was reluctant to tell him anything about this roleplay, so he figured it was something special between a few of his other friends. Loneliness bit at him like a chill wind, and he realized for the umpteenth time since he had met the green-eyed teen that he truly didn't belong and how little he knew of Shuuichi. It would take far more than a single lunch's conversation and a few words exchanged on the bus for him to fully join that elite circle of Shuuichi-friends. He vowed to learn more about the mysterious Shuuichi, no matter what the cost.

Little did he know it, but across town the subject of his thoughts was thinking the same of him.

_True, he is easily understood. At a glance, I can usually see what is going on in his mind; there are little to no mental barriers in place, and he displays all emotions he feels with unfeigned honesty. It is not hard to tell that he is troubled over something or another whenever I see him, although it will take more time of carefully stepping around the matter and seeing what I can learn without asking him anything that even hinted at my intentions to know exactly what it is that bothers him. Still, Gandara wasn't built in a day, nor, _he thought with a slight chuckle, _was the planning done to rob Yomi blind _there was another chuckle at that, before he added _no pun intended. I remember well the weeks I spent carefully figuring out how to get that valuable painting of his. Good times…_

"What are you laughing at?" someone demanded in a gruff voice.

"Nothing important," he replied, chortling slightly just to spite him. Instead of being shocked, as Hiei had expected, the redhead was acting with the same cool calm he usually did.

There was a noncommittal grunt from the fire demon at that.

"I noticed that you were going out of your way to get involved with that boy. Why must you? Your presence will only increase his spiritual awareness," Hiei asked.

"Precisely the reason why. First off, my proximity to him would still do the same even if I did not talk to him, and I would rather not find myself accosted in the middle of the hallways with him claiming that I'm some sort of demon fox-thing, as he is likely to do once his senses sharpen. That alone is good enough reason. Second off, it's the right thing to do. He's so defenseless right now," he said, still not moving to look at the shorter youkai. He knew full well how Hiei would react; any second now, the black-haired demon was going to snort and declare that they both knew that that was a lie.

Hiei snorted in disbelief at that, shaking his head.

"Nice response. We both know that 'the right thing to do' matters little to you in the long run. Tell the truth, Kurama."

A slight smile played over the yôko's delicate features. He had predicted his friend's reaction in the split second it took for the other to process his words. _That_ was precisely the advantage that he wanted to have over Mitarai. Being able to prepare for whatever he might say or do before even he thought of saying or doing it was quite useful. To do so, he had to get to know him better, plain and simple.

"On the contrary, Hiei, I rather care for those that see me as a source of wisdom," he jauntily replied.

"Rather, you care for those that idolize you and follow you like drooling animals," he shot back.

"I'll have to make do without the animal part, I'm afraid. There are no other fox youkai around here, Hiei!"

_Wait for it…wait for it…_

The fire demon quietly chuckled, finding that amusing.

"You're the only one who would rather take someone covered in fur who likes getting scratched behind the ear over a comparatively human companion," he said with a shrug.

"Oh! I don't see much fur on you, and you're my best friend! As for the behind-the-ear thing, I'm not sure if you do. I've certainly never tried. Is that an invitation, Hiei?" he asked with a smirk, finally turning around in his swivel chair to face the other.

Kurama had the pleasure of seeing a faint blush play over the smaller apparition's cheeks for a second before he regained his composure. Few could catch Hiei off guard, but those that could enjoyed doing so, or at least the yôko did. He would've gladly traded away a hundred years of his virtually immortal life to be able to hear Hiei's thoughts right then. Despite his uncanny ability to understand the people around him, he could not go so far as to understand the thoughts going on deep in their minds. Nothing but the most logical, and, almost always, the second most logical, option that the other could choose was thought of by the redhead.

"You know full well what I meant!" he growled, indignant. A mutter of something that sounded suspiciously like "damn nymphomaniac" to Kurama's sensitive hearing followed it, but the fox demon chose to ignore it.

"I'm sorry, then, but I must decline," he gravely said, although the merry twinkle in his eyes gave him away.

He spluttered with annoyance, before growling and tossing his arms up as if to say "hopeless!"

"So, why are you here? I take it there's reason beyond simply talking to me," the yôko asked, his tone light and cheerful.

"My main concern was making sure you didn't tear a muscle patting yourself on the back," he started, tone clearly stating that he was merely trying to get a little payback for Kurama's earlier comment. "But other than that, I was worried about you letting your emotions get ahead of you in your dealings with that human. That, and I have nowhere else really _to_ go. Being tied to this one pathetic town by law" he spat the word like it was a curse "could make even someone with your patience bored out of their mind."

"Touched that you care, but as of yet my rotator cuff is fine. I've noticed that I seemed to have acquired a short black shadow that seems to follow me wherever I go. Would you happen to know anything about this particular _three-eyed, nosy_ shadow? After all, you have been around town quite a bit," he replied.

Hiei disregarded the comment, realizing that anything he said would only be turned against him.

"Great. Don't you have _blonde, blue-eyed_ human to bother?"

"Glad to see you even paid attention to his eye color. Perhaps you like more than just former yôko thieves?" he replied.

"I pay attention to detail. For instance, you currently have no more than one shower's worth of lavender shampoo left. Go fix that unless you intend to parade around town smelling worse than Kuwabara did during the tournament," he shot back.

With hardly a sound, Hiei shot through the open window, a black blur in a night full of black blurs. Shrugging, Kurama wasn't even fazed; he hadn't expected any more or less out of Hiei.

"I have a spare bottle under the sink," he whispered into the night.

* * *

Mitarai sat next to Shuuichi again on the bus ride, brimming with eagerness. His promise to understand the redhead had given him far more optimism than he had had in a while. If the blonde had known that even the yôko's best friend knew hardly anything about him, then that cheeriness would have been squashed flatter than a bird demon that was lit on by a dragon. But he didn't know that, nor could he have, so that bright outlook on this day still remained. 

"Hey," he greeted, a hint of a smile on his usually gloomy features.

"Hello there. Awfully happy today, aren't you?" Shuuichi remarked. For the life of him, the fox youkai couldn't figure out why. It was like a burr under a horse's saddle; it shouldn't have bothered him that much, but it did. He wanted to know why Mitarai had deviated from his usual path, and why he was acting so cheerful. Obviously, there was a reason there, but he'd have to carefully question and observe to see the motives behind this.

"I guess so," he agreed.

"That's nice. Did you see a good movie? I know _A Twilight Story_ was on last night. That's a particularly entertaining one."

"Not recently, no, but I love that movie! Especially the part where the werewolf ambushes them in the park," he replied.

"Mm, that is a rather well-done action scene. I like it for the suspense. The way that they don't tell you who the werewolf is until the very end…"

_Of course, that sort of action isn't so enthralling to me. I've been in scarier fights in real life…_Shuuichi thought. _The mystery holds my attention._

"Yeah! That was such a good movie!"

"So, how was your day?" the green-eyed boy asked.

"Fine, I guess. Nothing much happened. How about you?"

"About the same. I did some homework, talked with a friend, and cleaned up around the house a little."

Mitarai barely stifled a giggle at that. The thought of Shuuichi, as effeminate-looking as he was, cleaning up around the house like a maid tickled him. Still, the mention of a friend cut through the slight humor. He immediately perked up, intent upon finding out about this friend.

Shuuichi saw it all. The barely perceptible widening of the blonde's grin (and he could imagine why… Humans had no acceptance of guys with long hair. Once again, he thought wistfully back to his days as Yoko Kurama, where he could run all over the Makai with silver hair well past his shoulders and would only be called handsome because of it. Humans had no taste at all…) gave away his amusement, and the interest on his face was blatantly obvious. Still, he would not give up the huge advantage he had by letting Mitarai know that he could read him that easily, and he patiently waited for the other to speak up.

"Who's your friend?" he asked.

"Oh, just someone from another school," he vaguely replied. "I met him at a roleplaying session."

Mitarai was firmly hooked. He was certain that the key to it all was this roleplaying group. First the _Vulpus mirus_ thing, now this other person…

"Cool! What kind of game is it?" he asked.

"A rather diverting one. It's a sort of fantasy realm thing where there are all these 'demons' around, and we either side with them or fight them," he replied.

"Demons? I've never played anything like that. Sounds like fun," he said. "What kind of character do you play?"

"A spirit fox, as I said in my e-mail," Shuuichi told him. As he had learned long ago, the best lies were spiced up with as much truth as was reasonable, and this was no exception.

_The perfect cover… By pretending this whole thing is just a roleplaying game, then if Yusuke or Kuwabara slips up and calls me "Kurama", I'll have an easy explanation behind it. That, or Yusuke's continual use of the nickname "Fox Boy" for me… Hiei, too, can be explained. Really, quite convenient._

"A spirit fox?"

"Yes, an ancient thief by the name of Kurama. He's really quite a fun character to play."

"Oh… Who do your friends play?" he asked.

"Let's see… a detective, a human psychic, and a demon killer who happens to be Kurama's partner, mainly. Those are the only ones who consistently play, although some others join for some time. The others can't play too often, though, so they don't have that much of a role in our games."

"Wow! Sounds like fun. Maybe…I could join you sometime?" he asked.

_I knew he'd ask that… but if we can't exactly try… Well, if it must happen, then I'll have to call together the other three and get them to act like that… It would be quite hard to convince Hiei, admittedly. Still, it would be accomplishable._

"Hopefully so. Regrettably, I am not in charge of the whole thing. It takes the consent of the whole group to let in a new member. I'm not sure the player of the demon killer, Hiei, would be too willing. He tends to be rather misanthropic. His character reflects it, too! So far, in our games, he's been arrested for attempting to kill another of the characters, for stealing valuable things from someone, and for almost causing the death of a human. I can't speak for him… I'm sure the other two wouldn't mind too much, though," Shuuichi said.

_Well, it's true. Hiei would never consent to this unless I've made him _really_ mad over something. No, our secret is safe, at least for the moment. Of course, this boy will soon discern my true identity. His spiritual awareness is extraordinarily high, rather like the Kuwabara family's. If Shizuru could tell that I was not human at a mere glance, then this Mitarai will certainly figure it out soon enough._

"Oh… Okay, then. I guess he has a right to play whoever he wants," the blue-eyed boy said with a shrug.

"Indeed. Well, here we are, so I suppose I'll be seeing you during lunch?"

"Yeah."

"Goodbye, then," Shuuichi said, standing up and shouldering his bag.

"Bye," Mitarai agreed, getting off the bus.

/That was risky and stupid./

/So is using your Jagan eye to communicate with me during school, Hiei,/ Kurama replied.

/No one will notice a telepath. But telling him all that? And I take offense at those comments, fox,/ the disgruntled, mental voice of Hiei growled.

/Well, who asked you? You said so yourself that his spiritual awareness is much higher than typical for a human. He's bound to find out anyway. I say, wean him to the details now in the guise of a simple human game. Much safer than trusting that the shock won't get him to call the police or something./

/I say, leave him on his own. It's not like he's a threat./

/We both know that we can't do that. That would be 'risky and stupid', as you said. He needs to be monitored./

/If you say so… I'm not going to go on human babysitting duty, though!/

_Hiei, your presence in my mind and proximity to him proves that you've already set yourself up to help me,_ the redhead thought to himself.

/He's my responsibility,/ he thought "aloud", so that Hiei could hear. Thoughts, at least according to the fire demon, could be placed in three categories: Spoken thoughts, silent thoughts, and subconscious thoughts. Spoken thoughts were those that were clear enough for a telepath to hear without any difficulty; in the mental conversations between Hiei and Kurama, those were the thoughts that made up for their lack of spoken words. Then, there were silent thoughts, which acted like regular thoughts did to those who could not read minds; they remained unheard and secret. Finally, there were subconscious thoughts, which could barely be touched by mind reading even during sleep; they could barely be heard even by the one who was having them. Those with no experience in defending from telepathic communication used strictly the first and the last. Kurama, though, had more than enough experience to mute thoughts that he didn't want "heard" by the shorter demon.

/Whatever. Now, I do believe that you were supposed to be taking out your notes during the past five minutes and your lack of any real response is causing people to stare. Go back to your little human life, Kurama,/ Hiei told him. Kurama could _feel_ the smirk that was on the younger demon's lips, and could plainly feel his emotions at that: _S__ATISFACTION. __C__ONFIDENCE._

The mental connection was severed before the yôko had the chance to reply, but he found that his classmates were indeed staring at him.

"Sorry. Must've zoned out for a second," he assured, smiling.

Murmurs of "He's so cute!" came from the general female population of his small class, and the guys could only shake their heads. Shuuichi's amazing ability to have the girls _still_ like him even when he was staring off into space was uncanny. They turned back to their notes, forgetting the incident immediately. It was then that the green-eyed teen decided that he would have to have a talk with Hiei about telepathic communication during school hours, and, more importantly, why not to.

_Still, I'm fairly sure that I still came out ahead,_ he thought. _Whether or not he intended to, Hiei has now joined this group, and he will most probably stay. Mitarai must be quite interesting for Hiei to have decided that he was worth watching… Ah well. Some other time, I guess._

With that, he turned his attention back to class, setting aside thoughts of blonde-haired freshmen and fire youkai until a time where he wasn't so occupied.

* * *

For starters, there is absolutely no such thing as_ A Twilight Story_, and if there is I apologize deeply for that. I made it up simply for a conversation topic. Next, as for the thought-emotions, the whole capitalize-italicize-underline thing will be used from now on for relayed emotions through telepathy, in the same way that the little backslash things will be used for telepathic conversations. Okay? Okay. Review, please! 


	4. Suspicion

Hello everyone, and sorry for making everyone who was patiently waiting for me to update have to wait. I got myself tied up in two other stories and then drabbles, then throw in school... But those are just excuses, I suppose, so I am quite sorry for the long wait, and equally sorry that I can't promise that the next wait won't be as long. That's life, I suppose. Either way, I mustn't keep you all from reading. Read on, and please review, okay? Thanks!

* * *

Lunch took far too long to come for Mitarai's liking. His classes drew on forever, at least in his mind, and it seemed as if every time he looked at the clock, less than a minute had passed. He was nearly bouncing with excitement when the lunch bell finally rang, and he was one of the first out of class, his sapphire blue eyes uncharacteristically bright and enthusiastic.

He hovered around the entrance to the cafeteria that he had used last time, waiting for Shuuichi to show up. Mitarai kept his eyes open and scanned the crowd for the distinctive, flaming red hair that marked the sophomore, yet even his vigilance was not enough to detect a thousand year old fox demon who did not want to be detected.

"Hello," Shuuichi quietly said from right behind the blonde's ear, causing him to jump with surprise.

"Oh! I didn't see you there," he hastily mumbled, wondering how the other could have crept past him. He knew for sure that Shuuichi hadn't been there when he had originally showed up.

"You didn't? Maybe you were just looking the wrong way," he offered. "I was off to the side, too."

_Looking the wrong way in both senses of the term,_ the fox demon thought with a mental chuckle. _You were not looking the right direction, true, but you were also not looking in the proper fashion. Scanning at eye level will not find anyone that does not wish to be._

"I suppose so," Mitarai agreed, although he felt a slight prickling at the back of his neck. Something felt wrong… He was sure that he had been looking at both sides and the middle. Surely no regular high schooler could have walked clear past him without being noticed, especially not as distinctive a person as Shuuichi Minamino. He shrugged off his doubts, though. He had probably been looking to the wrong side, that was all.

The feeling persisted. No, he was sure that he had been looking to both sides…

He brushed it off without another thought, though, as the redhead led the way into the lunch room. To his surprise, they headed for a different table then they had used yesterday, one on the other side of the cafeteria.

"I have to change tables about every day," the other explained, so sure that Mitarai was following that he did not so much as look back at the boy to confirm his presence. "It's rather annoying, being pestered continually. Some of the girls have it fixed into their heads that I'm interested in them, no matter how many times I have had to turn them down. And then there are the students who want tutoring, or help with the homework, or notes… It really is quite bothersome. Moving doesn't help too much, but it does give me a few more minutes in peace."

"Mm," the blue-eyed boy agreed, frowning slightly. What would it be like to be_too_ popular? Nothing like being a bully victim, he could imagine. He'd get all the attention he could ever want, and then some. No one would pick on him, except for jealous boys who wished they were as great as he was. Yeah…that would be the life…

Shuuichi sat down, setting his lunch on the table and gesturing to the spot next to him, a warm smile on his face per usual.

"So… About that roleplaying game…" he started hesitantly.

"Hm? Oh, yes. The demon fighting one I play with my friends."

"Yeah," Mitarai mumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich. "So, who are your friends?"

"Oh, you know, people from around town and whatnot," he replied with a light chuckle, hedging out on the question. Connecting him with two delinquent street punks for any reason that was avoidable would not be the smartest move he could make, and the yôko made sure to watch out for himself.

"Like who? Maybe I know some of them."

"I doubt it. Like I said, they go to other schools," Shuuichi said, his tone not so much as wavering.

_Well, it is the truth…sort of. Hiei went to some sort of fighting dojo once, so technically that is an 'other school', I suppose. As for Touya and Shishi and them, I have no real idea as to their educational background, but I'm sure that they went to other schools, as well._

"Well, maybe I do," he persisted, unwilling to let the subject drop. He _needed_ to know this! He just _needed_ to!

"Yusuke Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, and Hiei," he replied.

"Hiei? Just Hiei?"

"Well, we don't know his real name," Shuuichi lied smoothly. "It's the only name he will give, and also the name of his character. He's really into the whole thing."

/Am not, you liar,/ a mental voice rang out.

/Hiei! I'm in the middle of a conversation and trying to avoid blurting out that you are actually a murdering demon. Be quiet for a bit,/ he chastised.

/Yes, you are in a conversation. With me./ _SMUGNESS._

/Immature, suicidal little…/

"Ah, okay. So, what's he like? As a person, I mean," the freshman continued, completely oblivious to the mental debate that the green-eyed teen was caught up in.

Shuuichi purposefully took a large bite of sandwich so that he could easily explain off his silence as he replied to the fire demon.

/Insults, hm? That's low, even for you./

/Low? You mean like resorting to butting in on a conversation I'm having in an attempt to catch me off guard? You mean low like that?/ he shot back.

Luckily, Hiei couldn't seem to think of a reply to that, and remained quiet and smoldering, the way that the yôko usually preferred. That is, unless sleeping, killing other demons, teasing their friends, or caught off guard by himself or Yukina were available.

"He's very much the same as he is when he plays his demon character, actually: sullen, temperamental, sarcastic, and quiet. Still, he's a good enough person," he admitted. /Or at least he is _sometimes_./

/Not like I need your labels,/ he sniffed. /Now let me name a few traits of yours. You're manipulative, selfish, sly, narcissistic, and more than a bit sadistic./

/Thank you,/ he thought in a false-cheery voice. /I'm glad to know that I'm doing well for myself./

Shuuichi had the satisfaction of briefly _feeling_ Hiei roll his eyes—all three of them—before he turned back to his conversation with Mitarai.

"Oh… What about the other two? Yusuke and Kazuma, right?"

"Well, Yusuke's a very easygoing person. It's not hard to get along with him. He takes life as it comes, for the most part, and can find a joke in about everything. Kuwabara is an honorable and strongly loyal friend who's usually always around to watch his partners' backs. Their characters both reflect this."

"Oh… And what about your character, Kurama? What's he like?"

/Tell him. Tell him how you're really Kurama, fox. Tell him how what you're showing him now is a false image and how you're merely using the boy in an attempt to gain some sort of future advantage for yourself. Go on./

/I'm not just using him,/ he argued, taking another bite of his sandwich and feigning a look of thoughtfulness. /I actually care about the poor boy. Look at him, picked on and pushed down. He needs some sort of guardian angel./

/Humph. You're more of an angel of death./

/A guardian angel of death, then. Friend to him and death to his foes—or mine./

/You're hopeless./

/If I am, then why must you seek me out and talk to me at times like this? Go talk to one of your other friends, then. Oh, wait; other than Kuwabara and Yusuke, you don't have any, do you?/

/Shut up,/ he angrily replied, and Shuuichi was satisfied to feel Hiei's presence leave his mind. _INDIGNANT_.

"Well, he's a person that has a lot of internal conflicts," he started, going with his usual "truth within a lie" path. "He used to be a ruthless thief and killer, but now, after he was reborn as a human" he humbly bowed his head, gesturing to himself "he isn't sure. He is trying to reform to protect his human family, but it is hard. Hiei keeps pushing him to return to his old life, while his other friends unintentionally pull him in other directions and his thoughts pull him in a third. Kurama tries to be honorable, but sometimes he just can't, and has to do something that he doesn't want to, and each time he has to fight over whether or not to do something it gets harder for him. He's a very clever person; after all, he would have to be to have survived for so long as a demon, and to have gotten away with pretending to be a human for so many years, but sometimes his intelligence is too much for him. He overthinks everything, and has a lot of problems because of it. It's quite hard to stay in character for him, since Kurama's has such an interesting and complex personality, but it is quite rewarding to watch his character develop in the challenges he, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara face. One of the best characters I've ever come up with."

_Shuuichi Minamino is indeed one of the best characters I've come up with,_ he thought. _If only he knew._

"Oh… Wow, he really does sound interesting. What do you mean, by 'reborn as a human'? Was he reincarnated or something?"

"Yes, something like that," he replied, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Mitarai was confused. Why did it look like Shuuichi was enjoying some sort of inside joke? Why had he gone into such detail about his character if he didn't want to share the details of what sounded like a very interesting part of Kurama? He didn't get it, although he was even more convinced that this roleplaying group was the key to everything he needed to know about the redhead.

"That's cool," he murmured, carefully filing away his thoughts with the suspicions of how Shuuichi had snuck past him in the hallway and all the other tiny quirks he had found odd about the sophomore, such as his weird habit of taking forever to chew his food sometimes, and how at those times he seemed incredibly distant.

"I suppose so. So, what about you?" he replied, subtly shifting topics. "I mean, I roleplay, yes, but what do you do? I know that you play video games. Anything you want to talk about?"

Mitarai grimaced, shaking his head.

"Not really. I mean, I _have_ managed to make the third high score on the tennis game in Goblin City at our arcade, but mostly I play at home."

_He must not have anyone to go with. How sad,_ Shuuichi mused.

"Really? That's amazing. Three Sevens was always more of my strong point than the sports games." He offered a smile. "Maybe we could go to the arcade sometime?"

Mitarai's whole face lit up, making him look all the younger.

"That would be great! Too bad I'm loaded down with homework today… I've got way too much math, and I couldn't do anything today…" he sighed.

"That's okay. I'm busy also. Maybe tomorrow or Friday?" he offered.

"That would probably be okay. What are you doing?"

"I also have homework to do, and I need to read the next few chapters of a book for Japanese. Sorry."

Mitarai nodded, lapsing back into silence, as was natural for him. He wasn't much of a talker, after all.

Shuuichi smiled to himself. He found himself actually, genuinely liking the shy boy and his amusing mannerisms. He shook his head. Hiei was right—he didn't need to get his emotions all tied up in this. That would only get him in trouble sooner or later. Better to remain detached and safe than emotional and in danger, right?

Or was he?

* * *

Yeah, that was shorter than what I usually do, but that was all I was coming up with and I had to put something out. Besides, I didn't think that adding on a bunch of random clutter would help, either, so I left it as is. Hope no one minds. So, tell me what you think, okay? Thanks!

Thanks to Forgotten Kaze and Sora Sotara for pointing out my spelling error at the end. It has been fixed.


End file.
